Crossing to safety

Gorée Island, just 3 kilometers off the coast of Senegal, was one of the largest slave trading outposts in West Africa during the 16th and 17th centuries. Men, women and children were collected from the region and herded into holding pens on the island. They were then made to pass through this portal and onto waiting slave ships, where they eventually were sold, destined for the colonies of the New World. For thousands, this door represented the last connection they had with Africa.